Thunder Toll
by waffleman1314-AJ ThaPlatypus
Summary: Something isn't right in the World of Trophies. The masked men, the missing persons. Now they had taken away something irreplaceable, and for that they would pay dearly. The cost might be great, but vengeance is worth it. Or is it? *Stopped*


**Yep, AJ here again! Once more, I attempt to venture away from my Fanfiction anchor, _Phineas and Ferb_, and have tested several chapters of this on a friend or two. For those unaware of my style, I am apparently (as Killua, the test-hamster has said) someone who likes to kick you in the feels. Ok, yeah, I guess I write in a sad fashion. Sure. I just like to capture intense emotion. But, that being said, I will admit this story has its dark spots and definitely some sadness. (You can gauge for yourself what you feel. This is based on Killua's reactions.) I have tried to write SSB before, but I think I'm out to scrap that idea, since it's just me narrating the Subspace Emissary from Brawl...so this is a story I came up with on my own. Now that you're tired of me and this A/N, here is the first chapter! If you like it, I will post some more! -AJ ThaPlatypus**

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The feeling of grittiness on my tongue instantly informed my brain that my mouth was full of sand. Revolted by the thought and not at all concerned with why I had a bunch of ground up quartz in my mouth in the first place, I gagged and spat as much out as I could. It was then that I opened my eyes. Sensation returned to my skin. I felt as if I were in water. Lifting my head, I noted the sloshing of the puddle that I had been laying in. My mind instantly compared me to a beached whale, but as my eyes focused, I realized I was definitely not on a beach.

For one thing, there was no body of water. The sound of moving water came from the puddle. Cold air sent a shiver down my spine. I tried to lift myself off of my stomach. My limbs were weak. The area I was in looked like an abandoned town. It was beautiful from what I could see. While my mind usually imagined empty living space as eerie, there was a certain charm to this run down small city before me.

_Am I imagining this?_

Once more, I tried to move. This time, I had more success, but not enough to sit up. My body shifted in the wet sand, creating an irritating scraping sound. I wiggled my fingers. I waggled my toes. The tingling feeling that one feels when one's foot is asleep made my skin itch. Taking a deep breath, I forced myself into a sitting position. Something didn't feel right. I stood up and staggered backwards.

"Aaaahhh…" I groaned. My head swam from the rush of blood. Closing my eyes a moment, I grabbed the side of my head and clenched my teeth. A dull throbbing was coming from the base of my skull. The pain kept my mind from searching for answers. I needed to know what had happened, for one, and how I had gotten here.

Uneasily taking a few steps, I opened my eyes again and scanned the scene. Before the blackout, I had been with someone. Where was she? I tried to focus a little more. We had met in a horrible place. I couldn't remember why it was horrible, though. Taking a deep breath, I let the air clear my head. A bit of the pain melted away.

"There you are!"

I nearly jumped at the words. I turned completely around, which left me dizzy. My head must have been hit. The woman ran towards me and stooped down to look me in the eyes. Her hand touched my chin. She seemed worried. With her free hand, she brushed a small strand of blond hair out of her face. I blinked a few times.

"Are you okay?" she asked me. I nodded, but it wasn't convincing her. She noticed my slow reaction time. I must have had a dazed or glazed over look in my eyes. The blue lady sighed. "Well, you're fine for someone that just escaped their captivity. Don't run off like that again until we find someone you know! You're hurt."

I opened my mouth, but all that came out was a rather distant sounding "kaaaah."

"Do you have a family somewhere?"

The blue lady was asking questions she should know she wouldn't be getting the answers to. I shook my head. Not that I could remember. I had been at the horrible place for too long to remember anyone. She frowned and looked around. I made the mistake of trying to follow her gaze. My vision started to swim. I found myself stumbling to my right.

"Stop that!" she demanded. She stooped down once more and grabbed my sides to keep me upright. I half closed my eyes and looked up at her. Those blue eyes were trying to plead with me to take it easy, but I was so confused. I must have made another drawn out sound, because her look softened. "What were they doing to you…?"

Honestly, I had no idea. At the moment, I didn't remember. Perhaps with time, the fog in my mind would lift. Of course, I would never really be able to tell the blue lady what had happened, if and when I remembered the events at the horrible place. Human sounds were hard to reproduce. Her hands left my sides. I wobbled a second. A few times, I blinked. This air was dry. Full of static. I saw the blue lady back up a little, uneasy. Maybe the static was in my head. She curiously pointed a finger towards my face. A small arc of energy zapped its tip. The blue lady quickly pulled her hand back and waved it around a little.

"Was that on purpose?" she lifted an eyebrow. I shook my head. Static. Not me. Static. Well…I was blaming static. I opened my eyes a little wider and watched as she stood to her full height yet again. She gazed into the sun, which appeared to be either rising or setting. "Listen at me, talking to you. I could have reclaimed what was mine and been on my way. But no. That would have meant leaving you there to suffer."

I tilted my head. So this was the woman that I had been with before my blackout. She had rescued me from the horrible place. The place where they had used my power against me. The place where I was just a cheap form of—

"Aaaaaah!" I yelped. The blue lady jerked her chin down to look at me. Just like that, the memory had cut off. Still, what little that had come back forced an involuntary tear to fall down my left cheek. Whatever it had been, it had been painful. I suddenly didn't want to remember. Sniffling, I came closer to the blue lady, wrapped my paws around her leg, and pressed my face against her calf. Stranger or not, she had been the one to rescue me. Her comfort was all I had.

"Yes, you're welcome," she told me. The woman wasn't a nurturer. She was a fighter. At least she put up with me. She sighed. "Where to go from here? I still need the suit back, but I can't just leave you here." She paused for a moment. "And I know you don't want to go back there. Do you?"

No. I didn't. But she had saved my life, so I technically owed her a favor. The fog was lifting, even if ever so slightly. Our eyes met. They locked. Her eyebrows knit together in understanding. If my I-O-U was to help her retrieve this suit she had just mentioned, then I would help her fight the enemy to get it.

"Ka…" I murmured.

"If you're certain," she nodded. I perked my ears up. "There's something sinister in this world. This is only the beginning, you know. Those people who had kidnapped you were building something. Your escape has thrown off their progress, but I have no doubts they'll find a way to power that machine."

There it was. I was a battery. I had to resist the urge to hug the blue lady's leg again. Curiosity tickled my interest. I had been in the horrible place too long to know what was going on. The memory was slowly seeping back into my mind. The people had trapped me inside of a tube encased in an electrolyte and instigated me into powering some unseen device. The never ending cycle had been tiring, and the claustrophobic nature of my cell had often pushed me to the verge of tears.

The blue lady started to walk in the direction of the sun. I followed her slowly. "I don't know if you understand, by my name's Samus. You're not really much for conversation. But you at least respond."

"Ah!" I lifted my chin. She gave me a small smile. The blue lady had a name after all. Samus, the blue lady, and I, the nameless. It was always "you." People called me "you." There had never been a need for a name. Something about my exclamation made her laugh a little bit. I let one ear fall back. "Pi?"

"Well," she hummed. "We can start tomorrow. But for now, you need to rest. You received a serious blow to the head back there. You're all disoriented—and don't shake that little head to tell me you're not. You're falling all over yourself every time you try to move."

I consented with a rather flat "chu." Samus waved for me to follow her. She turned around and headed into the empty city behind us. Her stride was slow enough for me to keep up while remaining in an upright position. I wasn't feeling well enough to run, and she insisted upon this. She was right for the most part. Turning my head around to look at this desolate set of scattered skyscrapers only made it hurt and swim. My mind was definitely clearer, though.

Samus gazed up at one of the shorter buildings. She frowned. "This place used to be somewhere important." Something about this building looked familiar, but I couldn't place my thoughts on why. This place felt charming. It felt like…home. Why couldn't I regain a good memory? I dashed inside.

"Hey, wait!" Samus called.

My head spun a little. I stopped and straightened back up. No, not home, but a friendly place nonetheless. I had been here before. The reason for coming hadn't been the best, but I had left in a much better state. These people, whoever they were, had been caring and friendly. Now they were gone. My ears drooped.

"Pika…" I sighed. Samus caught up to me and looked around. The room was dark. Several beds occupied the floor. I thought instantly of a hospital. Yet my mind couldn't find any of the comfort that had originally filled this place. Sheets were torn and falling off of the beds. Lighting fixtures waved in a pendulum arc slowly, flickering and buzzing with misguided electricity. Shattered vials of long-evaporated liquids littered the floor.

"What happened here?" Samus wondered aloud.

I had been here—I knew it. The first time had been good. The second had ended terribly. Grasping the sides of my head, I tried to think about why I had been here and what had happened. Trying to remember only made my head hurt. "Chuuuuuu!"

"Easy!" Samus demanded softly. She knelt down, to touch my shoulder, but something crashed a few rooms over. We both glanced warily in that direction. My eyes half-closed. My vision was a bit blurry. Samus held up her gun and kept her eyes on the doorway. Another crash. She fired a warning shot that made me jump and squeak. "Come out where we can see you!"

Slowly, the person, or should I say _fox_, came around the corner, holding a gun in his hands as well. He stood up and wore clothing as if he were a human. I blinked. This fellow was peculiar. Samus lowered her gun some and stared at him curiously.

"We aren't here to harm anyone," the fox said. Both Samus and I straightened a little. He could speak in the human tongue. The fox walked into the room. "We came in here because we heard crying and thought we'd investigate. What are _you_ doing here?"

"Well, this little guy dashed in," Samus straightened up. She motioned to me. I looked up at her with a dazed expression. What did she just say? I frowned a little.

"Pi!" I exclaimed.

"Yeah," the fox chuckled. "I don't think it likes being called a little guy."

"Pi—pika pika!" I added, releasing a little bit of electricity. Samus looked down at me and raised one eyebrow.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

"Ok, look, lady," the fox explained. "Your Pikachu friend is very clearly female. Don't tick her off. But, if it wasn't her crying…then who was crying?"

We all blinked.

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**If you're curious as to why I picked a character that can't communicate with humans: I wanted an interesting angle. Peace out, tell me what you think. **


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